July 2, 2018: Centre Alliance Senator Rex Patrick last Friday succeeded in obtaining the total legal costs to Australia of defending its tobacco plain packaging laws in the case brought by Philip Morris tobacco company against the Australian Government under investor-state dispute settlement provisions.
June 21, 2018: Open Source Industry Australia (OSIA) has warned in a Techdirt article that the TPP-11 chapter on e-commerce may damage or destroy the free software licensing sector.
Over 120 people from 20 union, church, aid and environment organisations rallied outside the Sydney public hearing of the Joint Standing Committee on Treaties concerning the proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP-11). Speakers focused on the impact the TPP-11 would have on workers, temporary migrant workers and women, the cost of medicines, and the extra rights it would give investing corporations to sue the Australian government. The JSCOT and a Senate Inquiry will report back to parliament in September on whether or not the parliament should vote in favour of the legislation to implement the TPP-11. The protest movement is urging MPs to vote against the implementing legislation. See photos here.
June 14, 2018:
This article on the TPP-11 by Dr Patricia Ranald was published in the Sydney Morning Herald and Canberra Times.
June 12, 2018: Malaysia’s new Prime Minister, Dr Mahathir, last Friday made a brief but stunning statement in a media conference in Japan that he will review the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP-11.
Dr Mahathir said he believes weaker economies like Malaysia are at a disadvantage under the current terms, "It is important to take into consideration the level of development of a country."
Wednesday 6 June 2018: Martin Khor from the Third World Network (TWN) and the Consumer Association of Penang, has urged the new Malaysian government to reconsider support for the TPP-11, and trade policies more generally.
The TPP-11 has been tabled in Parliament and is being reviewed by a joint committee dominated by the government before consideration of the implementing legislation. We have succeeded in getting a Senate Inquiry on which the government does not have a majority and are campaigning for the Senate to reject the TPP-11 implementing legislation.
The government-dominated joint committee is meeting at 1 Bligh St, Sydney, on June 15.
18 May 2018: A new book by Canadian writer Joyce Nelson, Bypassing Dystopia: Hope-filled Challenges to Corporate Rule, gives insight into the Canadian government’s dogged support of Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS). It has been reviewed by journalist Damien Gillis here.
May 14, 2018: US President Donald Trump last Friday ordered his Trade Representative, Robert Lighthizer, to end “freeloading” and force trading partners to increase prices they pay for US pharmaceutical exports.
This policy results from the US pharmaceutical companies absurd and unproven argument that if other governments abandon their affordable medicine policies and agree to higher prices, the companies would then lower their prices in the US.